Now, two other high-profile trials unrelated to the once high-flying politician appear set to test whether his punishment fit the crime, at least in terms of how Chinese courts consider financial malfeasance in doling out jail time.

In cases now winding down involving many multiples of the amounts Mr. Bo is said to have accumulated as a politician, a one-time supplier to China’s high-speed railway network is accused of collusion involving billions of yuan in contracts while a former banker is standing trial on charges she used fraud to accumulate multiple properties.

Advertisement

Mr. Bo, who was sentenced on Sunday, was no ordinary defendant, so the amounts in question don’t quite explain the full reason why he drew such a stiff penalty.

The Bo case was the most politically charged trial in China in decades. Mr. Bo was told to spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty in Jinan Intermediate People’s Court of bribery involving 20 million yuan, embezzlement of about 5 million yuan and abuse of power.

For similar crimes, two other Communist Party Politiburo members tried over the past 15 years drew shorter sentences.

Now, in a year crowded with big trials, more lengthy jail terms appear likely to be handed down by other courts soon.

Ding Xumiao was found guilty on Tuesday in a Beijing courtroom of colluding with the nation’s deposed railway chief to illegally profit on deals worth about 180 billion yuan, according to a report by China’s official Xinhua news agency.

She was photographed Tuesday appearing distraught, wearing a flabby pink sweatshirt and with tears on her face. The court told her sentencing will be handed down later, Xinhua said.

Separately, a former banker nicknamed “Sister House” by Chinese media for allegedly accumulating houses by using fake identification cards appeared in a Shaanxi Province court Tuesday morning to deny charges against her. Fake identification documents, the court charged, allowed the woman, named Gong Aiai, to accumulate at least 41 properties worth millions, also according to Xinhua.

Shown handcuffed and wearing tight jeans in the Xinhua coverage, Ms. Gong said she regretted her actions but didn’t realize it was illegal to hold multiple household residencies, known as hukou.

The court’s decisions will come later, Xinhua said.

It’s unclear whether Ms. Ding or Ms. Gong challenged prosecutor allegations as forcefully as Mr. Bo did during his trial; their trials lasted mere hours, while Mr. Bo was in court for five days. But considering Chinese courts convict most defendants, findings of guilt haven’t been much in doubt in any of these cases.

Still one eyebrow-raising aspect of Mr. Bo’s trial could become a more common feature in coming trials, a Chinese media report said Tuesday.

During Mr. Bo’s trial, the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court released transcripts – seemingly edited – that provided outside glimpses into a courtroom that was essentially off limits to the public and most media. Courts are now working toward more information flows, the China Daily reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said court media officers could get new discretion to release courtroom information as part of a restructuring that may remove some of that power from judges and other higher-ups.

Though China Daily didn’t mention the case against Mr. Bo, the story quoted figures that 955 courts in China already have Sina Corp. Weibo accounts like the one used by the Jinan court to publish transcripts.

The story said Zhou Qiang, who was named China’s top Supreme People’s Court judge this year, is pressing for more disclosure to keep up with the times. Mr. Zhou, the story said, has reminded courts that new media trends demand that they release information in a timely manner and respond to questions and misunderstandings online.

Expert Insight

China’s territorial ambitions in the East and South China seas are by now well-documented. Much less understood is one of the key factors in the country’s ability to realize those ambitions: an increasingly well-funded and capable maritime militia.

The U.S. has been urging allies to steer clear of Asia's new China-led infrastructure investment bank. Robert Zoellick, former president of the World Bank, calls that approach mistaken on multiple levels.

Can legal reform and Communist Party control coexist in a way that will benefit Chinese governance and society?This is the question that confronts the country in the wake of its annual legislative gathering.

China's just-concluded legislative sessions seem to be another example of the deinstitutionalization of politics under Xi Jinping. Months from now, these meetings won’t be seen as harbingers of reform, so much as another lost opportunity, writes CRT analyst Russell Moses.

About China Real Time Report

China Real Time Report is a vital resource for an expanding global community trying to keep up with a country changing minute by minute. The site offers quick insight and sharp analysis from the wide network of Dow Jones reporters across Greater China, including Dow Jones Newswires’ specialists and The Wall Street Journal’s award-winning team. It also draws on the insights of commentators close to the hot topic of the day in law, policy, economics and culture. Its editors can be reached at chinarealtime@wsj.com.